AKRON — There was one thing Mike Monroe wanted to make clear about Station 300, the new owner of the former Stonehedge Family Fun Center, and its plans for the 47-year-old bowling center.
“We’re really excited about this move. We see the opportunities,” said Monroe, Station 300’s president. “We love the market and there is a good bowling history here.
“We just want to fall into place and be a contributor to the growth of bowling in this market. We’re excited about it.”
Stonehedge marks the fifth bowling center to fall under the Station 300 umbrella, joining business ventures in Saline and Grandville, Mich., Gainesville, Ga., and its first center in Bluffton, S.C. No purchase price was disclosed.
The chief financier behind Station 300 is Larry Enterline, an independent director at Compass Diversified Holdings and chief executive officer and director at Fox Factory, Inc. Enterline has ties to Northeast Ohio, with an undergraduate degree from Case Western Reserve University and a Masters in Business Administration from Cleveland State.
In addition, Travis Harper, Station 300’s administrative director, is a Massillon native.
Monroe also wanted to make a few things clear up front:
- There are no plans to remove any lanes at the center, now to be known as Station 300 Akron.
- No leagues are going to be changed, with the exception of having two Saturday leagues, which previously bowled every other week together, bowling opposite weeks to allow for open play that night.
- There will be no price changes for now, with the exception of a new pricing structure for open play.
- Station 300 Akron now will operate the snack bar, which previously had been under a lease agreement with the previous owners.
- The first priority as far as equipment inside the center will be to replace lane surfaces and scoring along with the general appearance of Stonehedge, which was built in 1976.
“Everyone is so afraid of change in our industry. We still want the Tuesday night guys bowling league at night here, but we also want that 89-year-old woman that just comes in to bowl in the afternoons,” Monroe, a bowler himself who resides just outside of Des Moines, Iowa, said.
“Everyone is doing things differently now. People don’t work the traditional 9 to 5 anymore. People in our industry who just throw out the Monday through Friday leagues like you don’t need them, good luck with that. I still believe you do need them.”
Despite the problems during the COVID-19 pandemic for bowling centers, Monroe believes lessons were learned during that time in the industry.
“It was a game changer for a lot of us. It woke us up,” Monroe said. “It showed us how important customer service and customer interaction really is. People wanted it; they missed it.
We saw a big influx of revenue at the end of it, and a lot of us had our best years in 2021-22 when it returned.
“After being closed up, the industry learned some lessons. Centers tend to be cleaner now and people expected some standards that were lacking a little in the past.”
Monroe touched on numerous topics during a nearly two-hour, in-person interview. Here are a few of the topics discussed:
WHAT IS STATION 300?
Monroe helped form First Frame, a company that began 12 years ago to assist financial institutions with the management of bowling centers that were up for sale or in financial distress. It was four years ago when he first met Enterline, an owner of the original Station 300 center in Bluffton, S.C., near Hilton Head Island.
“Larry asked me to come out to their center. They had no experience in the bowling industry. We started making changes too the operation that we needed to make and then COVID hit,” Monroe said. “Larry stepped up and financed things through COVID.
“We made changes to the restaurant, simplified the menu, changed some of our pricing structures and the numbers started growing.
“Along the way, I talked with Larry and said if we could find another center that would fit, I would be interested. He found another one in his backyard (Gainesville, Ga.). After we reopened in 2020, those two were doing well, so we took a look at another 24-lane center in Michigan. We have kept our model pretty consistent.”
The group — which basically consists of three people and Enterline, working out of a house in Bluffton, Ga,, but actually “pretty mobile,” according to Monroe — then bought its first larger center, 44 lanes, near Grand Rapids, Mich. Up to that point, all of their centers were 24-lane facilities.
WHY THE PURCHASE?
Fred Borden, the majority stockholder of three Stonehedge owners, first discussed a possible sale of his center with the Hansell Group, a buyer and seller of bowling centers, in 2018.
“Sandy Hansell had first talked with Fred, and felt we should take a look at the center. Larry felt we could sneak another center in, so I came down and met with Fred,” Monroe said. “We both had a lot in common … things we loved about the sport. This place had a lot of potential.
“To get the opportunity to purchase a center of this type of pedigree was something we couldn’t pass up. Fred said it was time … that he wasn’t going to be that guy to take it to the next level or the new way of bowling. He was more a traditionalist who revolutionized the game in different ways by teaching them how to play it.
“We feel very lucky to keep that history of this center alive and also give it the facelift it needs to bring the new generation back in.”
WHAT COMES FIRST?
Monroe emphasized the lane surfaces are a priority.
“That will go the furthest for us,” Monroe said, adding his companies have had a good relationship in the past with Qubica-AMF, which will be handling installation of the lanes and also a new scoring system. That includes replacing the wood approaches with synthetics.
“We were hoping to get going for the Akron Open (late August), but by the time we negotiated everything out, we didn’t close until June 16,” Monroe said. “With equipment and staffing shortages, we can’t really set a timetable, but we will let the public now. The papers have been signed and it is going to happen.”
The first priority is cleaning up the outside of the structure to make it more appealing from the roadway.
“We’re going to take down the ivy off the building, clean it up, put a new paint job on it and take the sign away,” Monroe said. “Make it less of an eyesore from the road.
“Initially, people will see the physical changes on the outside and an attitude change inside the center. We want to try to give it a new energy, a new vibe. We’ll announce to our league bowlers in the fall what our time frame will be on the equipment side.”
Inside changes include painting, replacement of the doors — “We want to allow some sunlight into this place,” Monroe added — and a transformation of the bar area.
“We love the woodwork and the lights, but we’re going to take the pinball off the top and take that room all the way down. I don’t believe in decorating a bowling center with beer signs,” Monroe said. “We’re going to add big-screen TVs and make it a sports bar. It takes a lot of time and effort to build that up.”
Monroe also plans on bringing back the miniature golf facility outside of the building and adding swipe cards to the game room with a redemption area.
“The golf facility won’t be ready until next year … we have a lot of work to do out there,” Monroe said. “We were fortunate that the game room already is there which saves on construction costs. We will be adding some new pieces however.”
PRICING STRUCTURE
Up front, Monroe emphasized there will be no price increases this season for league play or on individual open-play games. But there will be a change in open-play structure.
“The biggest change will be in how we sell bowling. We will be selling open play in two-hour increments instead of one hour,” Monroe said. “Too often you have people who pay for one hour and then want to add time, backing up the rest of the players.”
Station 300 Akron will charge $11.99 per person for the two-hour period on one lane, with a $1 increase for prime times on weekends and around the $15 mark for cosmic bowling.
“Most of the time, two people can get four games in during that period, and it keeps them around longer. If they do it by the game, it’s $5 without shoes, so we tell them the advantage of the special,” Monroe said. “I can control how much time they are on the lane. If they leave early, I can double up on that lane. It just makes sense.
“I didn’t invent this. People have done this in different ways. If you watch, with an hourly rate, it is really overpriced for what they get. I want people to spend money while they are here and give them time to do that. One guy told me once that, on the hourly rate, it cost him $2.38 to go the bathroom. I laughed, but he was right.”
Monroe added the center will run a lot of specials for open play during open play. But, he added, bowlers will be limited to one lane each and will be charged a per-lane fee if they choose to use two.
“Would you rather have two lanes going at $5 per lane or 20 lanes at $7 a head for two hours and shoes? Monroe asked. “I would much rather have a bunch of cars in my parking lot.”
He also plans to continue the Kids Bowl Free program, which offers two free gams to children.
“You drop $500 on something you get to feel, touch and see,” Monroe said. “If I take advantage of it, how am I going to find out who these people are?” You get out of it what you put into it. And we can use it to promote our youth leagues. If parents bring in their kids and they enjoy bowling, what are they going to do? Look for a way for them to do it more.”
LEAGUE PHILOSOPHY
Monroe says Station 300 has a basic philosophy when it comes to league bowling.
“My philosophy is 100 percent league bowling Monday through Thursday until 9 p.m.,” Monroe said, “and the weekend’s mine.”
But, he added, Fridays are included in the Station 300 Akron philosophy. He did request the change for the two Saturday mixed leagues and they were accommodating to allow for 24 open play lanes on that night.
“League bowlers have greater expectations of how the machine goes, how the pinsetters go up and down, how the balls come back and what is laid on top,” Monroe said, adding lineage fees will remain the same for the upcoming season. “We are still supporting all of them.”
Monroe said the center has not been notified of any league changes, adding there are openings for new ones through the week except on Wednesdays.
He also emphasized that Station 300 will be a “tournament house.”
“Tournaments are important. If I didn’t care about the industry, I would be the biggest hypocrite there is,” Monroe said, adding he has bowled in PBA regionals and the former World Challenge events in the past. “There are a lot of people in this industry who don’t know me and those who do know me.
“If I wasn’t going to promote league play and high school bowling, I would just walk in the door and just say you might as well go. I’m not going to alienate myself from the bowling community. People know who we are, and we’re going to get things done.”
Would that include reaching out the Professional Bowlers Association, which has held events at Stonehedge in the past?
“Certainly. I’ve kept contact with John Weber (PBA50 regional director). It has a story here and it needs to come back,” Monroe said. “But until I get these surfaces up to par, we can’t bring those guys back in here.”
HIGH SCHOOL BOWLING
Stonehedge was the home for six high school bowling teams last season. That won’t change under Station 300’s ownership.
“I love the high school concept. To me, that is where we are missing the boat for our future,” Monroe said. “Not all of these kids are ever going to average 200, but they do enjoy it and it it a level of competition. Those are the kids we need to have a connection with and keep track of.
“Those are the people who are going to replace me eventually. We also see it on the collegiate level because tournaments are booming. We don’t see them in our centers as much because we don’t market to them in any way.”
STAFFING AFTER SALE
Monroe said current general manager Denise Reitz will remain as will others who wish to stay.
“We don’t walk around with a staff in our back pocket,” Monroe said. “In most cases, people were excited about a little change.
“We don’t believe in coming in and ripping things off the wall and slapping Station 300 everywhere. In fact, one of my toughest decisions was whether to call it Station 300 Akron or Station 300 Stonehedge. But the more I thought about it, the more I knew we were not going to be Stonehedge any more. But we are going to preserve the history here.”
THE FUTURE OF THE CENTER
Station 300 in not through looking for other opportunities. In fact, Monroe admitted he toured several centers in Summit and Stark counties while closing the sale on Stonehedge.
“Larry made the comment to me the we could squeeze one more in this year,” Monroe said. “He loves to watch what is going on with other bowling groups and the stock market. He loves building things and as long as I can keep everything in the black, I think we’re going to be OK.
“I have a budget like everyone else. When you’re in this industry, you have to learn to take your time. It’s what’s good for the game.”
Monroe admitted there was a need to bring in “new blood.” Through a job fair, he also learned more about the North Hill area of Akron and the history of Stonehedge and what it meant to the residents.
“You can only keep things the same for so long. Fred brought the people from Midway (following merger) in here. The guys giving lessons will remain the same. That’s the least of my worries,” Monroe said.
“What people are going to see is the vibe and culture need to be different, along with the atmosphere. I walked in here the first time and it felt like bowling came here and died.
“We have to change that. We are trying to be part of the bowling community and the North Hill community.”